'Beauty and the Beast' Earns More in Opening Weekend Than Animated Film Did 26 Years Ago

It was a mammoth opening weekend for Disney’s new live action version of Beauty and the Beast, which took home an astounding $170 million.

Read: Children Flock to See 'Beauty and the Beast' - in Costume

The film’s release makes it the seventh highest opening in American box office history. In fact, the latest version earned more than Disney’s animated classic did in 1991 during its entire theatrical run. The animated version brought home $145.9 million at the box office.

The movie, which stars Emma Watson as Belle and Dan Stevens as the Beast, was also number one in a series of foreign markets like the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Brazil, Mexico and China. The company estimates it made $180 million from foreign markets this weekend.

The film has yet to open in countries like Japan, Australia, and France, where the story is based.

Beauty and the Beast has also become Disney’s fourth live action adaptation from its animated classics. Other remakes include Maleficent, Cinderella and The Jungle Book.

The latest version also stars Ewan McGregor, Josh Gad, Stanley Tucci, Ian McKellen and Hattie Morahan.

Read: Emma Watson, Amanda Seyfried Among Victims of Latest Celebrity Photo Hack

It's the sixth time the story has been told on screen. First in 1946, famed French director Jean Cocteau dazzled the world with his take, then in 1987, it was a short-lived television series which featured Ron Pearlman as the Beast.

In 1991, Disney turned the fairytale into an animated musical where a whole new generation fell in love with the story. In 2012, it returned back to TV in a short-lived series on the CW. In 2014, French filmmakers brought the story back home and made a live-action version of the tale for their country. 

Watch This Emotional Encounter Between Mickey Mouse and a 21-Year-Old Blind Fan